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Brexit themed show gives community a voice

The Citizens Theatre has released details of a new community led production, Come Hell or High Water, focused on people’s hopes and fears for a future outside of the European Union. The show will play in the theatre’s Circle Studio from Wed 21 - Sat 24 Mar.

The show is part of the Sky Arts Art 50 project, which has invited artists of all kinds, from all walks of life and from all artistic genres, to say something important about identity in post-Brexit Britain. These 50 projects will be featured on the Sky Arts TV Channel in March 2019. Currently, Come Hell or High Water is the only part of this UK-wide scheme taking place in Scotland.

With a diverse cast of 25, some of whom have experienced long-term unemployment, the criminal justice system and addiction services, Come Hell or High Water has been devised over several months and draws on a wide range of collected statements – with participants asked to interview a friend or relative with an opposing view on Brexit.

The project is being delivered in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council and several participants are asylum seekers. In addition to this international perspective, the project is also intergenerational – with a 56 year age gap between the youngest cast member, aged 20, and the oldest, aged 76.

The show intersperses sketches and opinions with a live score of original music and songs by composer Finn Anderson. It promises an accessible, light-hearted and at times irreverent take on a momentous political event that’s still unfolding. It will be directed by Citizens Theatre Associate Director Guy Hollands.

Martin Travers, Script Editor for the show, said:

“Come Hell or High Water is performed by people from all walks of life and is built around real people’s views about what it means to be Scottish and British at this moment of significant and maybe irreversible change.

“Throughout the process, it’s been important for us to create a space where everyone’s opinion is respected. We made a particular effort to welcome those who don’t have a strong view one way or another and, if anything, the dominant theme that has emerged is confusion about what Brexit means.

“The show will be entertaining and thought provoking. Brexit has been divisive – but we can’t think of a better way to look beyond current political divides than to bring people together for an evening of great music and sketches.

“Come Hell or High Water is about a wave that’s coming towards us that we’ll either have to surf or overcome. It’s also about putting Brexit in perspective, and about human resilience. But above all, it will be a great night out.”

Tickets for Come Hell or High Water are available by calling the Citizens Theatre Box Office on 0141 429 0022 or by visiting citz.co.uk. Tickets start from £2 concessions.